1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a fluid pump having sensitive electronic circuitry for controlling a brushless DC motor.
2. Related Art
Brushless DC motors and fluid pump assemblies incorporating such motors are well known in the art. Generally, fluid pump assemblies include a fluid pump inlet, the motor, an electronic control module and a fluid pump outlet. These components are typically held together and enclosed in a housing. The housing is typically made of a metal or similar material. The fluid pump inlet is in fluid communication with the motor and the motor is in fluid communication with the fluid pump outlet. Generally, fluid such as fuel is ingested by the fluid pump inlet and travels through the motor to the fluid pump outlet where it is delivered to the recipient component of the system such as a vehicle engine.
Conventionally, the fluid pump assembly is formed by placing the components described above into a housing and then the housing is mechanically sealed. Typical mechanical methods such as roll forming, mechanical crimping, and fasteners such as screws and rivets are used to seal the housing. Other methods include welding and sealing the housing to the pump components with adhesives. While these methods of manufacturing fluid pump assemblies achieve there intended purpose, many problems still exist. For example, the methods of manufacturing described above require additional fixturing and more complex manufacturing facilities. Moreover, these methods are require that contact is made with the housing and components, which causes damage to the components, increases cycle times, decreases consistence and increases scrap.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a less expensive and less complex manufacturing method to construct a fluid pump assembly as described above. The new and improved method for manufacturing the fluid pump assembly should also reduce the number of components required to seal the housing of the pump assembly. Furthermore, the new and improved method should eliminate manufacturing equipment contact with the components to reduce damage to the components, decrease cycle times, increase metal forming consistence and decrease scrap.